


Driving Agent Stone

by EmperorHaruhi



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: Agent Stone only gets out of the backs of cars so someone must drive him around and this is that guy, I got one glimpse of some guy in the front of Stone's car and came up with his entire life story, M/M, POV First Person, POV Outsider, Sonic Movie from another perspective, Stone is a giant coffee nerd, The relationship happens off screen but it has a happy ending I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24719281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmperorHaruhi/pseuds/EmperorHaruhi
Summary: We only ever see Stone exit from the backseat of cars during the Sonic movie, therefore he must have someone driving him around.Agent Stone, his life, and his dealings with Robotnik - from the POV of his driver.“Can you feel it, Stone?” I hear Robotnik yell, and Stone grins.“I can feel it, doctor.” He calls back. It’s the same expression I saw on his face the first time he was asked to make Robotnik coffee. Excitement and wonder all in one. I lean forward, eyebrows raised and head resting on the steering wheel as I watch Robotnik stride into the truck, Stone following a moment later. I was right, Stone’s got it bad for the doc.
Relationships: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone
Comments: 16
Kudos: 89





	Driving Agent Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Major credit goes to the fans on Instagram and Tumblr who pointed out that both times, Stone exits from the backseat of his car in the movie, which prompted me to re-watch those scenes multiple times until I caught the smallest glimpse of an older man in sunglasses driving the car. And thus the idea for this fic was born.
> 
> This work was also partially inspired by [the definition of insanity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22781716) by VoltageInside, which was the first fic I read that suggested that Stone _wanted_ to work with the doctor, and admired his work from the start, rather than being assigned to him and forced to adapt.

The file on Agent Stone was impressive. Top scores in sharpshooting and close-range combat, degree in electrical engineering from some fancy university, over a decade of impeccable military service. Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars.

I groaned as I read the bottom of the page. _Assigned to: Dr. Robotnik._

“It comes with a pay raise, Thomas. A generous one.” Helen already had her hand up, cutting off any protest I could make. “Besides, you know what the lunatic’s like. Longest any Agent has lasted with him was three months. After this, I’ll see if I can get you assigned to some Ambassador. A quiet one, some small country we don’t do much business with.”

“I’m holding you to that promise.” I said as I left, pointing the edge of the file at her threateningly.

She just laughed, waving me off with a cheery “See you in three months, Thomas.”

\-----------

I’m up before the sun the next day, swearing and pawing angrily at my alarm as it blares from the nightstand. Fortunately this new Agent doesn’t live far away, and I pull up outside a nondescript townhouse less than half an hour later. Agent Stone is already standing outside – I recognize him from his photo. He looks cheerful. Suit impeccable, hair trimmed, shoes shined. He waves as he approaches the car, and I give a halfhearted wave back.

“Good morning!” His voice is quiet but exuberant as he climbs in. “Thomas, right? Er, or would you prefer to be called something else? I’m sorry, I’m not used to having a driver.”

“Thomas is fine. Just made Agent, then?” I ask as we pull away from the curb.

“A couple weeks ago, yeah.”

“Sorry you got Robotnik as your first assignment.”

“Oh, I requested him!”

I nearly plow into the back of the minivan in front of us. “You _requested_ that madman?!”

“Yes?” Stone looks confused for a moment. “I kept hearing stories about his brilliant work. Five PhD's and hundreds of patents!” He sounds almost reverent, now. “Half the equipment we trained with was made by him.”

“Didn’t you also hear the stories about his temper? He’s a nightmare to work with, everyone says so.”

Stone shrugs. “Had a Sergeant that would make us do 30 push-ups if we so much as looked at him funny. You must have had a boss throw a fit before.”

“The longest any Agent has _ever_ lasted with him was three months, and that one had a nervous breakdown! Your predecessor was only with him for a week, and she requested a transfer _back_ to the front lines.”

Stone seems unfazed. “You don’t like a little challenge in your life?”

“Not as much, anymore.” I mutter, giving up. If Stone is determined to work for the mad doctor, then I can’t stop him. The profile in his file doesn’t seem to match the naïve young man now sitting in my backseat. Robotnik will eat him alive.

I drop him off just outside the building where Robotnik Labs is located. I’m out the door before he is, meeting him around the back of my car before he can leave. “Look, I’ll be on base all day. If you need me at any time, here’s my number. I’ll have my ringer on full volume, you can text or call me.” I hand him a slip of paper. “I won’t go far, I can be here in five minutes, maximum.”

Stone laughs, pushing the slip of paper back at me. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine.”

I put the piece of paper in his pocket before he can protest again. “Just take it. Please.”

Stone shrugs, smoothing out the wrinkle I’ve made in his suit, but he takes the paper out and puts the number in his phone before grinning and clapping me on the shoulder. “Thanks. I’ll see you here this evening.”

My shoulders sag as I watch him turn and walk into the building. When he doesn’t come running out screaming after fifteen minutes, I figure he’ll last the day, at least.

\----------

The base dispatch lot is full of black, nondescript sedans and SUV’s identical to mine, and I wave at the group of other drivers smoking near the entrance as I park. Inside, Katie and Matt have started a game of President at one of the tables in the rear, and I grab a coffee and join them.

“I’m driving the mad doctor’s new Agent starting today.” I say as I’m dealt into the game. I wait until Katie is halfway through sorting her cards to continue, just to see her reaction. “Get this – he _requested_ him.”

Katie drops her cards in shock, as I know she will, and I grin as she swears and thumps me on the arm. Matt howls with laughter, and several other drivers scurry over to hear the gossip. “You can’t be serious.” Katie frowns, having successfully gathered her cards up again.

“Dead serious. I tried to warn him, but...” I shrug a shoulder, sorting my own cards. “I think the kid worships him or something. Gave him my number in case he needs a getaway driver.”

“Wanna bet on how long he’ll last?” Matt side-eyes me.

“Ask me again tomorrow. I’ll let you know how he is after a full day in that lunatic’s lair.” I play my cards, and the game begins.

Lunchtime comes with no word from or sign of Stone, and I re-open his file for another look as I eat. Nothing stands out to me – he’s a damn good shot and obviously a smart man, but Robotnik’s had a dozen other Agents before that were, too. I’m guessing he’ll last a month, at most.

I pull up to the building’s exit right at 6pm, but there’s no sign of Stone, so grab my Kindle from the glove compartment and settle myself in to wait. Agents work unusual shifts, and it’s not the first time I’ve been stuck in the car waiting for someone. By 7pm I’m getting worried, and a bit impatient, but I realize I’ve forgotten to get Stone’s number when I handed him mine, so there’s nothing I can do but continue to wait.

Stone finally emerges from the building at a quarter to 8, and I’m surprised at how relieved I am to see him alive and well. His suit’s rumpled, he’s carrying a large stack of paperwork, and there’s an unidentifiable dark stain on his shoes, but he looks almost… cheerful?

“Good first day, then?” I ask as he settles into the back.

Stone is quiet for a moment as I start the engine. “Thrilling.” Is the word he finally settles on. When he smiles, it’s with his entire face, and his enthusiasm is infectious. I catch myself smiling back at him in the rear-view mirror.

“Thought he’d eaten you alive or something. You were in there a while.”

“Oh no, just lost track of time. I should have texted, I hope you weren’t waiting long!”

“No problem.” I shrug. “Caught up on some reading.”

“Still. Next time I’ll let you know if I’ll be working late.” He sorts through his pile of paperwork as I drive, and I catch a glimpse of electrical diagrams surrounded by what looks like math, but with far too many letters in it.

We pull up to his house and he jumps out, still looking through his papers. Before he can unlock his front door, I call out the window to him. “Look, I was serious about that offer this morning. You ever need to get away from him, you text me. Anytime. No questions asked.”

Stone just grins and waves. “See you tomorrow, Thomas.”

\----------

Things settle into a sort of routine, and before I know it, it’s been three months, and Stone is still working for Robotnik. His pickup time is always the same, but I’ve brought him back home as early as 3pm and as late as midnight. After the third late night where I’m stuck waiting outside, Stone simply texts me when he’d like to be driven home. The pay raise that comes with driving Robotnik’s personal Agent is more than worth the awkward hours, and Stone’s always polite and apologetic when I see him, so I can hardly complain. The kid is starting to grow on me a bit.

“So, who wins the pool on Stone, then?” Matt asks over a game of Egyptian Ratscrew.

“Nobody, I think?” I glance over at the piece of paper we’d recorded our guesses on. The times range from a week to three months, and today marks exactly three months and one day that he’s been working for the doctor. “Unless we want to guess again, I say we just all keep our money.”

Katie taps her cards against the table thoughtfully. “Has he said anything to you, about what it’s like working with the mad doc?”

I play my card. “Not much. He brings home blueprints sometimes. Couldn’t even begin to guess what they’re for, that stuff’s over my head.” I think for a while as the others take their turns. “Occasionally comes out covered in smoke and grease and who knows what else. Never had to take a car in for cleaning so many times before. You can still see one of the stains on the headrest, if the sun hits right. Politest Agent I’ve ever driven, though.”

Six months into driving Stone, I get a text from him only half an hour after dropping him off in the morning. _The_ _Doc wants_ _me 2 make_ _him_ _coffee. Need_ _2_ _get supplies._

When I arrive, he jumps in the backseat faster than I’ve ever seen, and rattles off an address that I have to type into my phone to find. It pulls up some fancy little grocery with a name in Italian I can’t even begin to pronounce. “Fast as possible, please.” He’s full of jittery energy, one leg bouncing as we exit the base and turn onto the road into town.

“Why this place?” I ask. “Heard he has his own supply of coffee. Orders more for himself than the entire canteen does. And you don’t strike me as a coffee snob.”

“I was a barista for a few years in college. One of those little bookshop/cafe combo places, before they became popular. We had a lot of spare time, so I learned to make all sorts of unusual drinks.” He’s staring out the window, lost in thought. The next sentence is accompanied by a small grin. “The doctor trusts me not to poison him.”

My eyebrows fly up at his tone. I’ve never heard such a strange sentence said so happily. Stone is quiet as we park and enter the building. I can’t pronounce half of the labels on the shelves, but Stone seems to know what he’s doing, making a beeline for a display of coffee beans and bottled syrups. I pick up a package of pasta, then quickly drop it when I see the price tag.

After ten minutes of sorting through beans and bottles, we pay and leave the store, Stone carrying a paper bag filled to bursting. Back at base, just before leaving the car, he reaches into the bag and hands over a fancy chocolate bar with a quiet “Thanks.” Before I can ask what for, he’s gone, dashing eagerly into the building.

The chocolate turns out to be delicious, and Stone texts me right at 6pm for a ride, so I’m in a great mood when he gets in. “So, how did the doc like your coffee?”

Stone’s beaming from ear to ear. “He drank the whole thing.”

“That’s a good sign, I take it?”

“Very.” He hums a tune I don’t recognize for the rest of the drive, and nearly skips out of the car when we reach his house. I’ve never seen a man in his 30’s look so much like a schoolgirl.

\----------

Another six months pass, and the trips off-base become more frequent. Not only to the little Italian grocery, but to electronics shops, tailors, dry cleaners. Once to a record shop three towns over, where Stone spends an hour flicking through vinyl and arguing with the owner before leaving cradling an album like it’s his own child.

Slowly, he opens up to me, and I learn more about his life. He has two sisters – one older, one younger. Army family, moved around a lot as a child. His mother was a radar technician, his father a sniper, which inspired his dual love of electronics and guns. I tell him about my family in return – what it was like to grow up the youngest of three brothers, how action movies and my grandfather inspired me to join the military.

“Why did you step down from active duty and become a driver? Retirement?” He asks one afternoon, as we’re heading back from the dry cleaner with a load of freshly cleaned coats.

“Hey, I’m not _that_ much older than you, kid!” I joke, and he begins to stutter out an apology, but I wave him off. “It wasn’t a choice.” I knock on the metal of my prosthetic leg hard enough that he can hear the _clang_. “Two bullets, Afghanistan.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ah, don’t be.” I shrug. “I’m done with all that excitement. Not like you, gunning to work for the craziest man in the universe.”

“He’s not crazy.” Stone says in a tone more serious than anything I’ve ever heard from him. “The doctor is brilliant. And misunderstood.”

The rest of the drive back is awkward, and Stone leaves without saying goodbye. I park the car and hurry to find Matt, who’s just stirring sugar into his coffee by the machine.

“I think Stone’s in love with the mad doc.”

Matt spills half the coffee down his front. Wincing, I grab a handful of napkins and help dab him off. “You can’t go around joking about things like that while people are holding hot liquids, Thomas!” He snaps.

“I’m not joking!” I snap back, tossing the soggy napkins into the garbage. “Look, I’ve been driving him around for a year, I talk to him, I think I know what I’m talking about.”

“Has he said so?”

“Not directly, no, but it’s in the things he does. The way he talks about the man. My brother used to talk about his wife the same way before they were married.” I think back over a year of conversations with Stone, a year of seeing the man enter and exit Robotnik’s laboratory. “Maybe they’re fucking.”

Matt spills the other half of his coffee, thankfully on the floor this time. “Thomas! Jesus Christ! Not a mental image I want, thank you!”

Katie and several of the others have wandered over by now, attracted by Matt’s yelling. “Who’s fucking who?” she asks.

“Doctor Robotnik and Agent Stone.” I say, and Katie’s horrified expression joins Matt’s. “I’m just saying! How else would he have survived working for that madman as long as he has? That would explain the late hours… and he comes out with his suit all rumpled sometimes...”

Matt claps his hands over his ears. “I am not listening to this. I am not listening to your crazy ramblings.”

“You have to admit, Thomas, it’s a bit far-fetched.” Katie frowns, shaking her head. “Robotnik doesn’t let anyone even stand within six feet of him, or touch him at all. We’ve all worked long hours, and suits rumple if you so much as do up the button too forcefully.”

Some of the other drivers chime in with their agreement, and I wave them off dismissively, heading back to my own car. If they don’t believe me, that’s fine. I’ll just have to watch Stone more closely. Find out the real truth.

\----------

Stone has been Robotnik’s assistant for three years, four months and six days when we get the call that we’re headed to Montana. I still haven’t been able to figure out exactly what is going on between them. The rumor about the two of them spreads after the day I first suggest it, and everyone keeps a close eye out for signs either way, but Robotnik remains the irritated, touch-adverse misanthrope is always is. The soldiers stationed near his lab tell me how Stone walks only steps behind the doctor whenever he stalks the corridors, how they hear swearing and thumping and loud music coming from within the lab, but they have never, ever seen Stone touch the doctor, never heard Robotnik speak to Stone except to order him around.

I continue to drive Stone on all types of errands for Robotnik, and he still comes out of the lab rumpled and grease-stained at strange hours, but nothing more than that. Even when I ask what he’s working on with the doc, he gives vague answers, and I’m not going to just _ask_ a man who is technically my boss if he’s sleeping with _his_ boss.

I’d assumed Stone would be making the trip out to Montana with Robotnik in the massive black and red rectangle of a truck the doctor always travels in, but Stone settles himself in the backseat of my car with a paper bag full of coffee supplies and sandwiches from the Italian grocery who’s name I still haven’t figured out how to pronounce.

“Excited to be out in the field? Maybe see some action?” I ask, halfway through the drive.

Stone hums noncommittally. “Depends on what we find. The doctor is very excited, though. He’s eager to take his latest Badniks for a spin.”

“Badniks?” It’s a word I’ve never heard before.

“He’s upgraded them significantly since the last mission.” Stone nods before falling silent, and I realize that’s all I’m going to get out of him. Only Robotnik and the team of Agents sent with him actually know why we’re headed out to this backwoods town. As drivers, all we’re told is where to take them, and that we’re going to be on standby 24/7 while we’re there. Doesn’t bother me – I’ve got some new novels loaded on my Kindle, and I’m looking forward to beating Matt at a few rounds of cards.

Our final destination is a baseball field of all places, the area already swarming with soldiers and equipment. When we come to a stop, a set of steps unfolds from the side of Robotnik’s truck, and he stands in the doorway for a moment, taking a look around. I’ve never seen the doctor this close before. He’s older than I’d first assumed, and his tiny square sunglasses and curling mustache make him look like an evil scientist from a cheap sci-fi movie.

Stone exits the car a moment later, smoothing down his suit and falling in line behind Robotnik as they approach the soldier in charge of the site. They way they move in sync is mesmerizing – Stone has his hand out to receive the doctor’s sunglasses before Robotnik is finished removing them, holds up identification a second before it’s pointed to.

Robotnik gestures, strides, waves his hands about as Stone stands and translates the ramblings, unfazed by the angry solder he’s standing only two feet from. The man bristles at something Robotnik says, and Stone turns to look at Robotnik with a smirk as the doctor retorts, stands aside so Robotnik can get right up in the soldier’s face, circle him while he rants.

Everyone jumps back and stares as a dozen white orbs suddenly fly out of the top of the truck, coming to hover behind Robotnik as he delivers some dramatic speech. This must be what Stone meant by ‘Badniks’.

“Can you feel it, Stone?” I hear Robotnik yell, and Stone grins.

“I can feel it, doctor.” He calls back. It’s the same expression I saw on his face the first time he was asked to make Robotnik coffee. Excitement and wonder all in one. I lean forward, eyebrows raised and head resting on the steering wheel as I watch Robotnik stride into the truck, Stone following a moment later. I was right, Stone’s got it _bad_ for the doc.

\----------

Several hours later, I’m halfway through a mystery novel, window open to catch the breeze, when Stone comes pelting out of one of the command tents, jumping in the back of the car before I can so much as put the Kindle down. “The doctor’s in trouble! Quickly!” I throw the car in gear, tires spitting out chunks of grass behind us as Stone stares down at some tablet, telling me when to turn left and right.

He catches sight of Robotnik’s truck and we swing onto the side street, nearly clipping a telephone pole. As we clear the front cab of the truck, a silver pickup speeds off, and I move to follow it, but Stone shouts at me to hit the brakes instead. He jumps out, concern written all over his face as he takes in the suburban house before us. Bullet holes are spattered across the front of the house and the door is wide open. Stone sprints in, but is only inside for a few minutes before Robotnik emerges, holding the side of his face and looking furious. Stone follows a moment later, holding something small and blue in one hand, and they both enter Robotnik’s truck.

More soldiers and agents come later, combing the house with dogs, sweeping the yard with metal detectors. I meet Katie and Matt between two of our cars, and they hound me with questions as to whats going on. “All I got from him was that the doc was in trouble. There was a silver pickup high-tailing it out of here when we arrived, but Stone went into the house instead. Saw them both walk out, and Stone had something in his hand, but I didn’t get a good look at it. Something blue, as far as I could tell. They’ve been in there since.” I point to the looming black rectangle behind us. The camera on it’s front gives me a bad feeling, and I look away with a shudder.

We all sit around for a while before we’re ordered over to the local sheriff’s station. By the time Robotnik and the agents come out, it’s late, but we haven’t been told to stand down yet. Stone stops by the car to grab the bag of supplies from the backseat, taking out and tossing me a sandwich and a bottle of some fancy carbonated water with a wry grin. “Could be a while. I’d suggest a nap if you can.”

I salute him with the sandwich, and he jogs back into Robotnik’s truck. I catch sight of Matt, already asleep in the passenger seat of his own car. Katie walks over to play a few rounds of War before she goes off to find herself some coffee. People mill around or talk in groups, waiting for orders, and I recline my seat and settle in to read while I eat.

I must have fallen asleep without realizing, because I’m suddenly woken up by the rumble of other vehicles starting. I’ve just wiped the sleep from my eyes when Stone hops in the backseat and instructs me to follow Robotnik’s truck – they’ve tracked the call to a gas station a few hours away, and have gotten permission to comb the area and interrogate anyone they can find.

The bar we finally stop at is small, a rough joint that looks like it’s frequented by the type of people who punch first and ask questions later. Several of the windows have obviously been smashed, and there’s a pair of men cleaning up the glass when we pull in behind the truck.

I get out to lean against the hood of my car, and Matt joins me a moment later, yawning. “Found out anything new?” He asks, gesturing to Stone and Robotnik, who are handing out pictures of a man in a brown uniform to the other Agents, before they all fan out to interrogate the locals.

I shake my head, suppressing my own yawn. We watch the workers pull out an unbroken sheet of glass and start fixing it into place. It’s a quiet, beautiful morning, and I’m just about to ask Matt if he wants anything from the gas station across the road when a crash and a scream echoes from the bar. A man has been thrown clean through the recently-replaced front window, and it’s jagged edges perfectly frame Robotnik, standing inside the bar with Stone behind him, identical smirks on their faces.

Everyone freezes. “Did he just _throw a man through a window_?” I gesture towards the groaning figure on the ground.

“I… I think he did.” Matt’s eyes are as big as mine.

Robotnik flings open the shutters of the bar a moment later, grinning, holding out his hand for Stone to high-five. As Stone raises his own hand, Robotnik stops him with a hand on his back, and punches him directly in the solar plexus. We both wince as Stone gasps for air, Robotnik striding ahead without looking back.

“Did he just _punch hi_ _m_?” Matt takes a step forward, but I hold out an arm to stop him. Stone is already recovering, shaking himself and falling back into a placid smile as he follows the doctor into his truck.

“Thomas, he just punched your Agent, and you’re not furious?” Matt rounds on me, gesturing to the still-open door of Robotnik’s truck.

“Do I have to remind you that he also just threw someone _straight through a window_?” I respond, gesturing in return to the man still curled up on the front porch of the bar. “Stone recovered fine, he was even smiling after! I don’t know, maybe he’s into that kind of stuff.”

“What.” Matt blinks heavily.

I scratch the back of my head, face heating up. “Knew a couple of guys in the army who were, y’know... _into_ that. Getting beat up by their girlfriends, roughed around and yelled at and… stuff.”

Matt’s own face reddens, and we both don’t look at each other. “Would explain a lot.” He finally mutters.

“I told you! Years ago I told you, and you and Katie said I was crazy!” Robotnik’s truck starts up a second later, and I wave Matt back towards his own car. “We’ll talk later.”

Stone stays with Robotnik when we head out this time, so I put on the radio in my car as I follow, settling on the first light rock station I can find. The whole convoy ends up pulling off the road into an open field after a while, and I settle back into my seat with the window open a crack to get some air.

We sit there for a couple hours, everyone shrugging when no further orders come. I’m leaning against the hood of my car, watching two younger Agents dare each other to knock on the door of Robotnik’s truck when there’s a ground-shaking rumble, and the entire top of the thing folds up and open. A huge white machine slowly rises from within, some kind of triangle with circles attached. The circles unfold on either side of what I can guess is a cockpit, and everyone is nearly flattened by a rush of air as the thing powers up. Squinting against the dust and grass now being whipped into circles by the glowing wings, I can just see it streak off into the sky, a blur of red and white that disappears over the horizon faster than anything I’ve seen before.

Everyone is quiet for a moment, staring off at the direction it vanished in, before breaking into excited chatter. Theories about what just happened, where Robotnik – because surely, only he would dare pilot something as crazy as that machine – had vanished off to. In all the commotion, I don’t see Agent Stone coming towards the car until he’s already inside and slamming the back door closed.

I go to open my own door, assuming he’ll want to follow the doctor, but the handle wont budge. Stone has locked the car from within. I’m just raising my fist to knock and ask him what the hell is going on when I freeze at what I hear. Through my still slightly open window comes the faint sounds of Stone crying.

In all the time I’ve been driving Stone, I’ve never heard him even come close to crying, and the faint noises coming from my backseat at that moment break my heart in half. I awkwardly turn my back on the car, standing at parade rest and trying to look unassuming. The other Agents will be swarming him for instructions in a minute, but I’ll do my best to give the man a bit of privacy before they do, a moment to put himself together.

Five minutes later, I hear the doors unlatch, and I quietly climb into the drivers seat. “You… uh, you okay?” I ask awkwardly, not looking at the rear-view mirror.

“Walters gave him permission to do whatever was needed to catch them. I tried to warn him against going off on his own in a prototype machine, especially when it’s powered by that untested alien quill, but he was too excited over finally being able to fly it, finally being given free reign...” Stone’s voice trails off.

I really don’t have any idea what he’s talking about, but I try to look sympathetic and supportive as I turn to face him, holding out a napkin. “I’m sorry.”

He takes a deep breath in, lets it all out slowly, before taking the napkin from my hand and rubbing it over his face. He straightens his tie, picks lint off his knee, scrapes at a speck of dirt on his shoe. When he finally looks up, he’s every inch the professional, competent Agent. Except for his eyes. His eyes are fixed on some point beyond me, beyond the car and the field and everything in it. “Thank you, Thomas.” He says, and the smile he offers me before he steps out of the car is genuine.

Stone is the only one aside from the doctor who has the authorization codes for the truck, so he drives it and I lead the convoy that follows on the long drive back to base. Everyone is told to head home, so I wait outside the base doors for Stone, assuming he’ll want his usual ride, but a soldier is sent to tell me that I won’t be needed.

I’m out the moment my head hits the pillow, exhausted from days of driving without proper sleep, and I dream of giant white birds emerging from monstrous eggs and a pair of black-clad figures that watch and laugh as they take to the sky.

The alarm goes off way too early for my liking. _I’m getting too old for this_ , I think as I strap on my prosthetic leg, wincing at the pain that shoots up into my back when I stand.

There’s a pair of Corporals standing on Stone’s front lawn as I pull up, and one of them comes over and sticks his head through the open window. “You’re to head to base and report directly to dispatch.”

“Where’s Stone? What’s going on?” I ask, trying to peer around him. I can see the silhouette of several people inside the house through the curtains. The soldier just shakes his head, blocking my view and repeating his message, so I leave.

The usually bustling car lot is empty when I arrive. The whole base looks like a ghost town, feels like it’s holding it’s breath. Gives me the creeps. Helen’s the only one in dispatch when I enter, and her desk is suspiciously clear of the paperwork that’s usually scattered across it. She waves towards the chair in front of her desk, and my heart rate soars as I sit.

“You’re not being fired, Thomas.” Is the first thing she says, likely seeing the panic on my face. She rubs a hand across her eyes. “In fact, you’re getting a week-long paid vacation. We all are. As soon as I let the last few drivers know, I’m booking the first flight to San Juan. Going to go lay on a beach for a while.”

“What’s happened?”

She throws her hands up in exasperation. “Commander Walters came in this morning with the orders, effective immediately. Wouldn’t answer any of my questions. All I could get was it was something to do with Robotnik. I was actually hoping you knew, since you used to drive his Agent around. Thought he might have told you something more.”

I shake my head. “Went to go pick up Stone this morning, but the house was crawling with soldiers. Got told to come straight here.” Her use of the past tense catches up with me. “Wait, _used to_ drive him around?”

“Oops, shouldn’t have said that, but you’d have found out when you came back anyway.” She points to a line on the list of Agents she has open on her computer. Stone’s name has _INACTIVE_ written in red next to it. “You’ll be re-assigned. I managed to snag you a good one, don’t worry. An Ambassador, like I promised, only travels to and from the consulate on weekdays. You’ve earned it after the crazy hours you had to pull with Stone. Don’t know how you did it.”

“A lot of reading and a comfortable pillow for car naps.” I hear myself respond, but my mind is a million miles away.

“Well, enjoy your week off, then. You look like you need it.” She hands me a piece of paper authorizing the leave, and I take it automatically as I stand.

“You too, Helen. Bring me back a tacky souvenir.” I head back to my car, thoughts racing. Stone had mentioned Walters after the doctor flew away, something about permission to catch something, and an untested machine. Had Robotnik succeed or failed at his mission? Was this vacation a reward for our hard work, or was it being used to get us out of the way while something new was put into motion?

Back home, I sit on the couch with a beer, staring at some sitcom on the TV, not really paying attention. I know the lines on my face and the bags under my eyes have deepened, lately. I’ve never been particularly concerned with my appearance, but I can’t deny that I’m getting old. There’s white starting to grow alongside the blond on my head.

With the pay raise and bonuses I’ve earned from driving Stone around, I’ve got quite a bit set aside. That combined with the pension I’ll get from the Army should be more than enough to afford someplace nice to retire to. Could get myself a dog for some company, maybe try a pottery class.

Nobody is particularly surprised when I put in my notice when we all get back from our vacations, and Matt and Katie throw a hell of a retirement party on my last day. Helen bakes the richest chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted, and we all sit around a bonfire we build at the back of the car lot, drinking and swapping stories late into the night.

“Did you ever find out if that Agent of yours was boinking the doctor?” Matt asks at one point. Everyone leans in to hear the answer, and I almost hate to disappoint them when I shake my head in response.

“Nope, never did.” I’ve never told anyone about the moment in the car with Stone at the end of my last mission, and I never will. “Whatever happened to Stone, anyway?” I turn to Helen, who frowns as she tries to remember.

“Y’know, I’m not sure? He’s still marked as inactive, far as I know. Nobody’s seen him around.” She shrugs. “Maybe he finally cracked and ran away to live in the woods.”

“Yeah, or ran away to live with his robot man!” Katie drunkenly shouts, nearly falling over, and I reach over to take her bottle of beer away before she tips it all over her shoes.

“Lets ease up on those.” I laugh, pushing a bottle of water into her hands instead. I take a deep breath, taking in the crisp night air, feeling the warmth of the fire on my face, and I smile. “Well, wherever he is, I hope he’s happy.”

\-----THREE YEARS LATER-----

Its the coffee that tips me off in the end. He’s wearing the same black as his old suits, but it’s a different cut, with a hint of red trim on the bottom and edges. He’s got some kind of fancy watch-like device on his wrist, and a pin on his lapel, a cartoonish face with a bushy, oversized mustache I don’t recognize. I’m not quite sure it’s him until he begins picking up the same beans and syrups I’d seen him buy for years.

“Agent St-” I call, waving as I approach, but he hastily puts a finger to his lips and pulls me over into a corner.

“It’s just Aban now.” He looks well. There’s fewer bags under his eyes, and he’s still in good shape, but it’s something subtler than that. I catch sight of a ring hanging around his neck, something in a red iridescent metal.

I know a wedding ring when I see one, and I point to it, grinning. “So you and the doctor...”

He blushes, but nods. “I found him, and I brought him back. We got married last year.”

I don’t understand what his first sentence means, but I pull him into a hug anyway. “Congratulations! I wish you a long and happy marriage. I’d have sent a gift if I’d known.”

He waves me off with a laugh. “It’s alright. We don’t technically exist, anymore. Couldn’t go drawing attention to ourselves, even for a wedding.”

“Can I ask...” I stutter a bit, but plow onward. I have to finally know the answer. “Were you guys uh, together? When you were an Agent, I mean.”

“No, only after I brought him back. While I was an Agent I had a hell of a crush him though, was it really that obvious?”

“Only to me, cause I saw you every day. Drove you to go hunt down the rare albums he wanted, pick up the snobby, expensive coffee to make his lattes.” I nudge his shopping basket with my own. “You have great taste, by the way. I get all my beans here now. Makes the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had.”

“And you were the best driver an Agent could ask for.” He claps me on the shoulder, eyes twinkling, and we make our way to the lineup at the checkouts. “I hear you retired a few years ago?”

“Got a little place near the river. I do pottery sometimes, and have my dog to keep me company.” I show him a few photos of my golden retriever sitting in the backyard, then a few of her sprawled belly-up across the living room rug.

“She looks gorgeous. Give her a biscuit and some belly rubs from me.” We pay for our respective groceries, and step out into the late afternoon sun. I almost laugh when he puts on the same pair of square sunglasses once I saw the doctor wearing, but they suit him somehow.

His car is a sleek black and red thing with heavily tinted glass and no door handles. There’s a single red camera embedded in the front, and Stone has to type in a complicated passcode on a hidden keypad before the door pops open. It’s so obviously Robotnik’s work, down to the color scheme and dramatic flair, and I wave at the camera lens, just in case the doctor can see me.

Stone loads the groceries into the vehicle before turning back to give me a handshake – I pull him into another hug instead, and he laughs and pats me on the back in return.

“Take care of yourself, and the doc too. You look good, St-sorry, Aban.”

“You too, Thomas. Thank you again. For everything.”

He waves one last time as he steps into the car. I wave back, unable to stop grinning. He looks like he’s found happiness, that all is right in his world. He looks like a man in love.


End file.
